An evaluation of a reflective writing assessment within the MPharm programme
Keywords:
Assessment, Reflective Assignment, Reflective LearningAbstract
Introduction: The aim of this evaluation was to gain some insight into how students and academic staff engage with the reflective process through a written assignment.
Description of assessment: First year students write a short, summative reflective account about an inter-professional education (IPE) experience which is marked against specific outcomes.
Method: A random sample of 22 of the 165 marked reflective assignments from first year MPharm students were thematically examined to determine how the student demonstrates reflective learning and development. This was followed up with a meeting of academic staff involved in the marking of the assignment to explore the academic perspective on marking reflective work.
Evaluation: Students overall were competent at describing the situation itself but tended to make broad generalisations about the IPE experience rather than personalising it in a reflective process. Academic staff highlighted the challenges associated with using assessment criteria in a written assignment designed to demonstrate a personalised, reflective response.
Future work: The evaluation has underlined the potential benefit of using a cyclical approach as proposed by Kolb (1984) or Gibbs (1988) to the assessment process, rather than a grid-based criterion referenced format. Currently an innovative assignment marking scheme is being piloted using a continuing professional development cycle format.
References
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Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by Doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Education Unit, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford.
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Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential Learning. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
